I don't even take lessons yet but I play shōgi (Japanese chess) and therefore have contact with native speakers and a lot of material is in Japanese (not to mention the very pieces are kanjis). So I did what everyone would do: I downloaded a bunch of apps from F-Droid to learn Kana and Kanji and procrastinate on deepening my knowledge in the future
I'm proud of myself that I more or less understand the Japanese
I too always feel proud when my Japanese lessons are paying off. :3
I don't even take lessons yet but I play shōgi (Japanese chess) and therefore have contact with native speakers and a lot of material is in Japanese (not to mention the very pieces are kanjis). So I did what everyone would do: I downloaded a bunch of apps from F-Droid to learn Kana and Kanji and procrastinate on deepening my knowledge in the future